System, computer program product and method for managing and controlling a local network of electronic devices

ABSTRACT

A method, system, and computer program product including providing a main server including software for managing network resources from a single point of administration, wirelessly connecting a plurality of electronic devices to the main server to create a wireless local area network (LAN), and managing the electronic devices using the software. The electronic devices include at least one of an appliance, an environmental control device, and an entertainment device and may be monitored by monitoring management initiating parameters for the electronic devices, determining a management action to be performed on an electronic device to be managed based on the management initiating parameters, and transmitting a management action data packet to the electronic device to be managed. The monitoring management initiating parameters monitored may include monitoring at least one of a system clock and sensed parameters. An adjustable transmission power may be provided for the main server to provide an adjustable signal area for the wireless LAN.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to methods, computer-based systems andcomputer program products for managing and controlling devices, and inparticular managing and controlling electronic devices on a localnetwork.

2. Discussion of the Background

The past few decades have witnessed the ever-increasing pervasiveness ofelectronic and computer equipment in our work and home lives. From homeentertainment systems to office equipment, the modern home and workplaceincludes a vast array of electronic devices. Moreover, traditionalelectrical devices such as refrigerators and ordinary lighting unitshave become sophisticated microprocessor controlled devices.

With such a large number of sophisticated electronic devices in our homeand workplace, there has been recognized a need to manage suchequipment. For example, the Open Services Gateway Initiative (OSGI) isan industry initiative to provide the technology to allow management oflocalized electronics equipment by use of an external service provider.The initiative contemplates a service provider, located on a wide areanetwork such as the Internet, providing management services for thelocalized electronic devices through a “gateway” into the home orworkplace that the devices are located in. However, given the currentstate of computer security, users may be unwilling to open control ofsuch fundamental necessities such as security and climate control to thecontrol of a virtual entity on the Internet. Moreover, comprehensivecontrol of one's electronic environment may require wiring many devicesto a central computer which is expensive and restricts the mobility ofthe devices.

In addition to the need to manage the large number of sophisticateddevices in the home or office, the diversity of such devices makes itdifficult for users to manually control the settings of these devices.For example, while most microprocessor based devices are set up andmanually controlled by way of a menu driven interface, the menuorganization and terminology varies greatly among electronic devices.Indeed, one must spend a great deal of time reading setup and controlinstructions for each device in the home or workplace in order tooptimize the features and conveniences of these device. This is both aburden and a bother to users.

In addition to the burden of learning the control features of eachelectronic device, many devices are not provided with a remotecontroller thereby requiring the user to input commands to each devicelocally. Those devices that do have remote control such as televisions,VCRs, and ceiling fans have traditionally used an infrared transceiveron the remote control device and the device to be controlled. However,such control devices require line of sight infrared communications whichis not suitable for controlling wireless network devices that arescattered throughout various rooms of a household or office. Moreover,traditional remote control devices are often complex devices thatinclude a large number of buttons associated with functional controlsfor the device to be controlled.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a method, system, andcomputer readable medium for locally managing electronic devices in thehome or workplace.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method, system,and computer readable medium for sharing the resources of a main serverthat manages a variety of electronic devices.

These and other objectives of the present invention are met by a method,system, and computer program product for managing electronic devices.The method on which the system and computer program product are basedincludes providing a main server including software for managing networkresources from a single point of administration, wirelessly connecting aplurality of electronic devices to the main server to create a wirelesslocal area network (LAN), and managing the electronic devices using thesoftware. The electronic devices include at least one of an appliance,an environmental control device, and an entertainment device.

The main server may one of a desktop computer and a portable computer,which wirelessly connects to the electronic devices by wirelesslytransmitting an identification request, wirelessly receiving a responsefrom responding electronic devices within the wireless range of the mainserver, and maintaining the wireless LAN including the main server andthe responding electronic devices. The electronic devices wirelesslyconnected include at least one of an office equipment device and amobile terminal device to the main server. An adjustable transmissionpower may be provided for the main server to provide an adjustablesignal area for the wireless LAN. In one embodiment, information on theelectronic devices connected to the wireless LAN is periodicallyupdated, and the wireless LAN is maintained by using a media accesscontrol (MAC) protocol.

The electronic devices may be monitored by monitoring managementinitiating parameters for the electronic devices, determining amanagement action to be performed on an electronic device to be managedbased on the management initiating parameters, and transmitting amanagement action data packet to the electronic device to be managed.The monitoring management initiating parameters monitored may includemonitoring at least one of a system clock and sensed parameters.

According to the present invention, the electronic device to be managedreceives the management action data packet and performs the managementaction at the electronic device to be managed based on the managementaction data packet. The electronic device to be managed then generates amanagement action report and transmits a report data packet includingthe management action report from the electronic device to be managed,the management action report containing information about whether themanagement action was completed by the electronic device to be managed.

In a preferred embodiment, the electronic devices connected to the mainserver are such that the electronic devices can share the software andhardware resources of the main server. In addition, Internetconnectivity to the electronic devices may be provided through the mainserver.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the present invention and many of theattendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the samebecomes better understood by reference to the following detaileddescription when considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a system diagram illustrating a system for managing andcontrolling a local network of electronic devices in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of the wireless LAN of the present inventionimplemented in a home environment;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of the wireless LAN of the present inventionimplemented in a workplace environment;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary start up of a mainserver to establish a wireless LAN in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a process for managing theelectronic devices of a wireless home LAN according to one embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a process of a mobile terminalaccessing the resources of a main server in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a system diagram illustrating a system for managing andcontrolling a local network of electronic devices using a control devicein accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an illustration of the control panel of a control device inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a control device in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating the process manually controllingelectronic devices using a control device in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing the communication correspondenceof a control device according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 12 is an illustration of a control device display displaying agraphical display of selection boxes according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating a process for displaying theresponding electronic devices on a control device in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 14 illustrates a general purpose computer system upon which anembodiment according to the present invention may be implemented.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designateidentical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 isa system diagram illustrating a system for managing and controlling alocal network 150 of electronic devices. The system includes a mainserver 100 having a display 101, and office equipment including printers102 and 104, scanner 106, and fax machine 108. The system also includesmobile terminals 110 and 112, entertainment device 114, appliance 116,and environmental control devices 118. As seen in FIG. 1, each of thedevices 100-118 include an antenna represented by the symbol numbered as121 on the main server 100. In addition, one or all of the devices100-118 may be provided with access to the Internet 120 as will befurther described below.

The main server 100 is any suitable workstation, desktop computer orother suitable network node for providing the management of computer andnetworking resources from a single point of administration. The mainserver includes a wireless transceiver device that allows the mainserver 100 to transfer files and other data to the other wirelesselectronic equipment 102-118 by way of antenna 121. Thus, the mainserver 100 provides a server function in a wireless local area network(LAN) including the electronic equipment 102-118 of FIG. 1 as clients.The LAN may be a bus, hub, or any other network type and may contain afirewall (not shown). A firewall is a hardware device or software thatallows only authorized computers on one side of the firewall to connectto a network or computer on the other side of the firewall. Firewallsare known and commercially available devices or software (e.g.,SunScreen and Firewall 1 from Sun Microsystems, Inc.).

The main server 100 may be implemented using a general purpose computer,such as the computer of FIG. 16, that includes network operating system(NOS) software such as windows NT, Unix, Linux, or Novell Netware. Themain server 100 may include a login server application such as NovellDirectory Services (“NDS”), which is a product for managing access tocomputer networks. Using NDS, a network administrator can set up andcontrol a database of users and manage them using a directory with agraphical user interface. Using NDS, or the main server 100, users ofcomputers and other devices at remote locations can be added, updated,and managed centrally. The login operation to the network is typicallycontrolled by a script, which is executed or interpreted. As analternative to Novell Directory Services, Microsoft's Active Directorymay be utilized as a directory service. Moreover, any suitable softwareand/or hardware may be utilized to assist in controlling access to andmanagement of the network resources.

The main server 100 may also include file server, e-mail server, andInternet server applications if desired. The filer server applicationallows files contained on the main server 100 to be accessed by devices102-118. The email server may be utilized to manage and control emailaccounts on the network and permit the sending and receiving of Internetemail via Internet 120. The Internet server allows access to theInternet 120. If desired, the Internet server may be utilized to allowbrowsing of the World Wide Web, can allow file transfers using the FileTransfer Protocol, and may allow the transmission and receipt ofInternet electronic mail messages from suitable network nodes such asthe mobile terminals 110 and 112.

In addition to the server applications described above, the main server100 includes management and control applications for managing andcontrolling each of the devices connected to the main server 100, and inparticular the entertainment device 114, the appliance 116, and theenvironmental device 118. For example, the main server 100 may includesoftware for automatically controlling a thermostat or for providing auniform means of manually controlling each of the electronic devices onthe wireless LAN 150 as will be further described below.

The office equipment of the LAN 150 is signified by the dashed circle inFIG. 1 and provides all of the functions of conventional equipment thatmay be associated with a home or workplace office. For example, printers102 and 104 may be implemented as an impact or non-impact printingdevice for printing text and images on a printing medium. Similarly,scanner 106 and fax machine 108 may provide conventional opticalscanning and facsimile transmission functions respectfully. Despitethese conventional functions, the printers 102 and 104, the scanner 106,and the fax machine 108 of the present invention are provided with awireless transceiver suitable for communicating with the main server 100via their respective antennas. In this regard, special serverapplications such as a print server may be provided on the main server100 to allow all terminals on the network to share the printers 102 and104, and office equipment in general.

Mobile terminals 110 and 112 function as mobile computer terminalshaving a transceiver that allows wireless access to the main server 100.The terminals are preferably dumb terminals having only the minimumhardware needed to access the main server 100, but may be thin or fatclients having the local hardware devices needed for independentoperation, depending on the user needs. Thus, each mobile terminal 110and 112 utilizes the resources of the main terminal 100. For example,either of the terminals 110 and 112 can use the printer 102, printer104, scanner 106, or fax machine 108. Similarly, the terminals 110 and112 can access files and software applications stored on the localstorage of the main server 100. Since the terminals have wireless accessand share the resources of the main server 100, they can be easily movedto any location that is within the area of coverage of the wireless LAN150. In a preferred embodiment, this area of coverage can be adjusted toa desired size as will be further described below.

Entertainment device 114 may be any one of a variety of electronicdevices used for providing entertainment to a user. For example,entertainment device 114 may be a television, stereo, video game, videocassette recorder (VCR), digital video disk (DVD) player, compact disk(CD) player or any other electronic device for entertaining the user.While the functionality of these devices is well known in the art, theentertainment device 114 of the present invention is provided with atransceiver suitable for allowing wireless communication with the mainserver 100 by way of antenna 121. Thus, entertainment device 114 isconnected to the wireless LAN 150. In one embodiment of the presentinvention, the main server 100 contains software for managing andcontrolling the entertainment device as will be described below.

Appliance 116 represents an electronic device for performing somephysical work for the user of the appliance. The appliance 116 may be adishwasher, coffee maker, refrigerator, a clothes washer or dryer, orany other similar device. The appliance 116 is also equipped with atransceiver for providing wireless communication with the main server100 via antenna 121 and is therefore connected to LAN 150. As with theentertainment device 114, the appliance 116 may be managed andcontrolled by the main server 100.

Environmental control device 118 represents those electronic devicesfound in the home or workplace, which control the environment of suchareas. For example, environmental control device 118 may be a thermostatfor controlling the heat and air conditioning of a home or building, alighting unit, a ceiling fan, an attic fan or other exhaust unit, ahumidity control unit, or similar device. As with the other devices inFIG. 1, the environmental control unit 118 is provided with atransceiver for allowing wireless communication via antenna 121 and intherefore connected to wireless LAN 150.

As noted above, the coverage area of the wireless LAN 150 may be set toa predetermined range. Specifically, in a preferred embodiment, thetransceiver of the main server 100 includes an adjustable signalstrength feature. By adjusting the output power of the main server 100,a user controls the range at which the network nodes (i.e. theelectronic devices) can be placed and still be able to communicate withthe main server 100 to maintain a network connection and share theresources of the main server 100. In this regard, the transceivers ofelectronic devices 102-118 may also include an adjustable transmit powerfeature. In a preferred embodiment, the electronic devices 102-118 havean automatic adjustment feature that adjusts the transmit power based ona detected signal strength of signals transmitted from the main server100. Any known method or device for detecting signal strength may beused to implement this feature of the present invention.

As mentioned, the wireless network of FIG. 1 may be applied to a home orworkplace environment. FIG. 2 is an illustration of the wireless LAN ofthe present invention implemented in a home environment. As seen in thisfigure, home 216 includes rooms 218, 220, 222, 224, 226, and 228separated by walls or other physical structures. Room 218 of the home216 contains a main server 200, a laser printer 202, and a scanner 204and, thus, may serve as a home office. The main server 200 is depictedas a desktop computer with limited portability, but may be implementedas any general purpose computer such as the computer of FIG. 15.Moreover, the main server 200 may be connected to the Internet 120. Room220 includes a desktop computer 206, while rooms 222 and 228 includemobile terminals 208 and 212 respectively. As with the mobile terminalsof FIG. 1, the mobile terminals 208 and 212 are preferably dumbterminals, which provide the light weight and small size desirable forincreased portability. Room 224 includes refrigerator 210 and room 226includes VCR 214.

As with the system of FIG. 1, the devices in FIG. 2 each include anantenna that allows connection of the respective electronic device to awireless network controlled by server 200. Thus, while the laser printer202 and the scanner 204 are shown in room 218, these devices may beplaced in any other room in the home 216 and still maintaincommunication with the main server 200. Moreover, the transmit power ofthe wireless devices of FIG. 2 may be adjustable to control the range ofcoverage of the network. As each device of FIG. 2 is connected to awireless LAN controlled by main server 200, each electronic device ofFIG. 2 can share the resources of the main server 200. In addition, themain server 200 includes software for managing and controlling theelectronic devices on the home wireless network of FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of the wireless LAN of the present inventionimplemented in a workplace environment. The workplace 327 is in anoffice building 326 and includes rooms 328, 330, 332, 334, 336, 338,340, 342, and 344 separated by a wall or other physical structure. Room336 contains a main server 300, printer 302, and database 304 with mainserver 300 connected to Internet 120. The main server 300 and printer302 are similar to their respective devices described in FIGS. 1 and 2.The database 304 is a file that contains records for carrying out thebusiness of the workplace 327. Rooms 328, 338, and 344 include mobileterminals 306, 324, and 316 respectively, with room 328 also containinga printer 308. Room 332 includes a desktop computer 312 and room 342includes a workstation 318 and printer 320. The workstation 318 issimilar to the mobile terminals in that it depends largely on thehardware of the main terminal 300 for operation, however the workstation318 may include a relatively large monitor suitable for displayinggraphic and other special purpose software applications provided by themain server 300.

In addition to the office equipment described above, the workplace 327also includes a coffee maker 310 in room 330, a lighting control unit314 in room 334, and a climate control unit 322 in room 340. The coffeemaker 310 is preferably provided with a timing device for brewing coffeeat a predetermined time and includes a transceiver for communicatingwith the main server 300 via antenna 321. The lighting control device314 is a unit for controlling the lighting of the workplace and alsoincludes a timer for automatically activating the lighting atpredetermined times. While the lighting control 314 is shown as a singleunit located in room 334, it is to be understood that the lightingcontrol can be implemented as a plurality of wireless units located onindividual lights throughout the workplace 327. Finally, the climatecontrol 322 is a wireless device that controls temperature and otherenvironmental factors within the workplace. As with the lightingcontrol, the climate control may be implemented as a plurality ofwireless units located on individual environmental units throughout theworkplace 327.

As seen in FIG. 3, only a portion of the rooms available in the officebuilding 326 make up the workplace area for the wireless network. In oneembodiment, the main server 300 emits an omnidirectional wirelesscommunication signal and is therefore centrally located in the workplaceso that the output power of the main server 300 covers an areasubstantially corresponding to the periphery of the workplace 327. Inthis regard, the transmit power of the main server 100 is preferablyadjustable to cover a larger area of the building 326 should theworkplace area be expanded. As previously described, the output powerlevels of the other (i.e. client) wireless electronic devices of FIG. 3may also be adjustable.

It is to be understood that the system in FIGS. 1-3 are for exemplarypurposes only, as many variations of the specific hardware and softwareused to implement the present invention will be readily apparent to onehaving ordinary skill in the art. For example, the functionality of themain server 100 may be divided among several computers. Moreover, whilethe systems are described as a client server network in which the mainserver 100 serves as the central server, the system may operate as apeer to peer network in which the mobile terminals and other desktopcomputers in the system act as both servers and clients to other nodeson the network. Finally, it is to be understood that the electronicdevices connected to the LANs of FIGS. 1-3 are exemplary only and thepresent invention contemplates that any electronic devices may beconnected to a LAN to realize the benefits and advantages of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 shows the flow diagram of an exemplary start up of a main serverand establishment of a wireless LAN in accordance with the presentinvention. The process steps of FIG. 4 will be described with respect tothe wireless network 150 of FIG. 1. As discussed above, each of theelectronic devices of FIG. 1 includes an antenna for wirelesscommunication. Thus, for all of the steps of FIG. 3 in which the datapackets are sent between the different devices, the data packets aresent wirelessly. The data packets may also be encrypted for securetransmission.

Step 400 illustrates the starting up of the system when a user turns onthe main server 100. When the main server 100 is turned on, the mainserver must identify all of the electronic devices that are powered upand capable of connecting with the wireless LAN 150. In step 402, themain server 100 looks up information that it stores about all of theelectronic devices that can exist in the wireless network 150. In oneembodiment, the stored list is input by a user of the LAN 150 aswireless devices are added to the LAN. In step 404, the main server 100sends data packets to each of the electronic devices identified in step402 to determine which electronic devices actually exist in the range ofthe wireless network 150. The data packets of step 404 may, for example,include the unique identifiers accessed in step 402 so that eachelectronic device can determine that it is being contacted by the mainserver 100.

In step 406, each of the electronic devices that is powered up andwithin the range of the wireless network 150 responds to the requestmade by the main server 100 in step 406. Each electronic device sendsdata packets to the main server 100 that include data indicating thatthe device is up and running. Of course, only those electronic devicesthat are within the signal range of the main server 100 and which havesufficient output power to communicate with the main server 100 can senda reply to the main server 100. Once the main server 100 has informationabout the status of each electronic device and terminal, in step 408,the main server 100 maintains information about the electronic devicespowered-up and running in the wireless LAN 150. Then in step 410, themain server 100 monitors management initiating parameters and waits fortransaction requests from the electronic devices connected to thewireless LAN 150. The process of monitoring management initiatingparameters and responding to transaction requests will be furtherdescribed with respect to FIGS. 5 and 6 below.

In a preferred embodiment, the main server 100 periodically updatesinformation on the electronic devices connected to the LAN 150. Thisupdating is preferably performed at predetermined time intervals, butmay be triggered by some event other than timing. Thus, decision block412 determines whether the network 150 is to be updated. If the mainserver 100 is not triggered to update the network, then the main server100 returns to step 410 where it continues to monitor electronicequipment and wait for transaction requests. If the network is to beupdated, the main server 100 proceeds to step 414 and then returns tostep 402 as shown in FIG. 4.

In step 414, the main server 100 determines which electronic deviceshave exited the network and drops links to those devices. A device exitsthe network 150, for example, when power to the remote device is turnedoff or the device leaves the signal area of the local device. As usedherein, the term “signal area” means that area in which the electronicdevice can receive, at a predetermined bit error rate, the transmittedsignal from the main server 100 and in which the main server 100 canreceive the transmit power of the remote device. A determination ofwhether an electronic device has left the network may be made by themain server 100 monitoring synchronization information of the electronicdevice, or by the main server 100 receiving an exit message transmittedfrom an electronic device prior to that device exiting the network.Moreover, as indicated above, the main server 100 may monitor signalstrength of remote electronic devices and determine that a particulardevice has exited the network if the signal strength for that devicesdrops below a predetermined threshold which may be programmable by theuser of the main server 100. In any situation where a remote device hasexited the network 150, the main server 100 terminates any link to thatdevice. After dropping electronic devices that have exited the network,the main server 100 returns to steps 402-408 where the main serveridentifies new devices that may have entered the network area andmaintains a list of such devices. An electronic device enters thenetwork 150, for example, when power to the electronic device is on andthe device is within the signal area of the main server 100.

Thus, FIG. 4 indicates a process for start up of a main server 100 andestablishment of wireless network 150. This process may be performed byusing a media access control (MAC) protocol. The MAC protocol is aprotocol used on multiple access links to ensure that only one devicehas access to the shared link at any one time. The MAC protocol, ineffect, allocates talking time to each device on the network. Forexample, the MAC protocol typically divides a single data frame intoseveral time slots. Each device in the network transmits information ina particular time slot and listens in all other time slots of the frame.As each device has a fixed amount of bandwidth, that is, a fixed numberof data bits which can be transmitter per second, under the MACprotocol, a fixed amount of data can be transmitted in the device's timeslot. A common MAC protocol used for wireless bridges is the CarrierSense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA). Different MACprotocols may perform the steps of FIG. 4 in different ways. Forexample, in one embodiment of the present invention, the MAC protocol ofthe main server 100 updates the network by periodically causing the mainserver to transmit a “join message” requesting new electronic devices tojoin into the network. In another embodiment, the MAC protocol transmitsa join message and establishes a new link only if prompted by a newremote electronic device to do so. In yet another embodiment, the mainserver 100 keeps a count of the number of remote electronic devices forwhich a network link has been established, and the MAC protocoltransmits a join message only if the count does not exceed a maximumnumber. The maximum number may be based on the bandwidth limitations ofthe main server 100 or programmable by the user of the main server.

Examples of multiple access protocols may be found in the IEEE 802.11standard, final draft approved Jun. 26, 1997, and the Blue toothspecification “Specification of the Blue Tooth System”, V.1.OB, Dec. 1,1999, core specification—Vol. 1, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference. It is to be understood that thefeatures and benefits of the present invention do not depend on aparticular MAC protocol and any of the above named protocols or anyother MAC protocol may be used to practice the present invention as willbe understood to one of ordinary skill in the art.

As indicated in the discussion of step 410 of FIG. 4, a main server ofthe present invention monitors electronic equipment and waits fortransaction requests from all electronic devices on the wireless networkestablished by the main server. In a preferred embodiment, a main servermanages electronic devices within a wireless home network such as thenetwork described with regard to FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a flow chartillustrating a process for managing the electronic devices of thewireless LAN in FIG. 2 according to one embodiment of the presentinvention.

In step 501, the main server 200 monitors the management initiatingparameters of all electronic devices 202-212 connected to the wirelessLAN. The management initiating parameter is a variable parameter thatdetermines when a particular device will be managed or automaticallycontrolled. For example, the management initiating parameter may be thetime of a system clock, a counter that counts a time lapse, or sensordata indicating temperature, humidity, or some other measurableparameter. In decision block 503, the main server 200 determines whetherthe parameters monitored indicate that a management action is needed.Decision block 403 is performed by comparison of monitored parameterswith at least one stored predetermined value for each managementinitiating parameter. For example, if the management initiatingparameter is time, then the main server compares the actual time of aninternal system clock with a stored time input by a user; where a matchin these times exists, the main server 200 determines that somemanagement action is needed.

If no parameter monitored indicates that an action is needed, the mainserver 200 returns to step 501 as shown in FIG. 5. If a managementparameter indicates that a management action is needed, then the mainserver 200 proceeds to step 505 where the management action isdetermined. The management action is a predetermined action associatedwith the parameter monitored by the main server 200. For example, if themain server 200 is set up to turn on VCR 214 at 2:30 AM, the managementparameter is the time of day and the management action is turning on theVCR214. As another example, if the main server 200 is set up to monitorthe battery power of mobile terminals 208 and 212 and send a message toall terminals indicating that a particular terminal battery must becharged, the management initiating parameter is the battery power andthe action is sending a message to all terminals on the wirelessnetwork. Thus, a management initiating parameter and management actionmay be associated with any electronic device in the wireless network.

After the management action is determined, the main server 200 transmitsa management action data packet including the management actioninformation as shown in step 507. Returning to the VCR example above,the management action data packet would include the action “beginrecording.” In step 509, the electronic device to be managed receivesand processes the management action data packet. In a preferredembodiment, the data packet also includes a unique identifier for theVCR 214 so that only this electronic device will receive and process thewireless data packet sent by the main server 200 in step 507.

In step 511, the electronic device controlled then performs the actionof the management action data packet. That is, the VCR 214 will turn onthe recording function at 2:30 AM. In most instances, the managementaction will be some action that the electronic device can automaticallyperform based on the management action data packet. However, it is to beunderstood that the present invention is not limited to automaticcontrol. For example, the management action may be to display a remindermessage on mobile terminals 208 and 212 reminding the user of wirelessLAN 150 to clean out or change a water filter in refrigerator 210.

In a preferred embodiment, the electronic device that performs themanagement action will generate a management action report and send thisreport to the main server 200 as shown in step 513. The managementaction report is a data packet that includes information that the actionwas performed or was not performed by the electronic device due to somemalfunction. In step 515, the report is received and stored in the mainserver 100 so a user can access and review the report. Once this reportis received by the main server 200, the main server 200 again beginsmonitoring management initiating parameters of electronic devices on thewireless home network. Thus, FIG. 4 indicates the process steps formanaging electronic devices on a wireless home network. While theprocess of FIG. 4 is described with respect to the home network of FIG.2, it is to be understood that the process of the present invention maybe performed on a workplace network of FIG. 3 or any other wirelessnetwork that includes a variety of electronic devices.

As previously noted, the wireless LAN system of the present inventionnot only provides management and control of the electrical devicesconnected to the LAN, but also allows for the sharing of resources ofthe main server. FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a process of themobile terminal 316 of FIG. 3 accessing the resources of the main server300. As with the previously described process, all transfer of datapackets between devices occurs by wireless transmission via respectiveantennas. As seen in FIG. 3, the main server 300 has wireless access toexternal memory 304 and a printer 308. Whenever the main server 300needs the service of either external memory 304 or printer 308, the mainserver 300 will send wireless data packets with instruction and data onwhat the main server wants these electronic devices to do. By sendingdata packets to the main server 300, the terminal 306 may view a filelocated in the external memory 304, use an application software in themain server 300, print a file on the printer 308, or access the Internet120.

The process begins in step 600 when the user of mobile terminal 306turns on the mobile terminal. This may be done by use of a power switchor by activating an input device of the mobile terminal to awake theterminal from a power saving or “sleep” mode. In step 602, the mobileterminal 306 sends data packets that identify the mobile terminal 306 tothe main server 300 thereby indicating to the main server that themobile terminal 306 is ready to use the resources of the main server300. The main server 300 permits access only to those terminals that areregistered to use the shared resources. This prevents unauthorizedaccess to the main server 300 and its resources. As noted in thedescription of FIG. 4, the main server 300 waits for transactionrequests from the terminal 306.

Once the main server 300 receives the identification data packets fromthe terminal and verifies that the identification is valid, the mainserver 300 transmits verification packets to the mobile terminal 306 asshown by step 604. The verification packets inform the mobile terminal306 that the main server 300 recognizes the terminal as a valid user ofthe main server resources. The main server 300 is then ready to performa requested transaction for the mobile terminal 306. In step 606, themobile terminal 306 sends data packets to the main server 300 requestingto open a file located on a file server of the main terminal 300. Themain server 300 receives the file request and then determines theapplication software that allows the opening of the file as shown instep 608. The main server 300 then starts the appropriate applicationsoftware, opens the requested file, and sends data packets to the mobileterminal 316 that allow the mobile terminal to view the requested file.

Once the file is opened by the mobile terminal 306, the user of themobile terminal 306 may want to print out the file. In step 610, themobile terminal 306 sends data packets to the main server 300 requestingprinting of the file opened. Once the main server 300 receives the printrequest, the main server must determine whether the printer isaccessible to the main server. In step 612, the main server 300 sendsdata packets to the printer 308, for example, to determine if theprinter exists and is on line. In step 614, the printer 308 sends datapackets to the main server 300 indicating that it exists and ready toprint. In an alternative embodiment, the main server 300 may determinethat the printer 308 exists and is on line by maintaining a list ofitems connected to the network as described with respect to FIG. 4.

Once the main server 300 determines that the printer 308 is available,the main server 300 sends data packets containing the file to be printedto the printer 308 as shown in step 616. The file is then printed on aprint medium loaded in the printer 308. Thus, steps 606 through 616 ofFIG. 6 indicate the method for the mobile terminal 306 accessing andopening a file on the main server 300, and then printing the opened fileon network printer 308.

With the file printed, the user of mobile terminal 306 may want toaccess the Internet 120. In a preferred embodiment, the mobile terminal306 and/or main server 300 includes Web browser software forcommunicating with remote web servers via Internet 120. To access webpages on a remote server, the user inputs a uniform resource locator(URL) identifying the location of the requested web page. Details ofaccessing and using the Internet may be found in “How The InternetWorks”, by Preston Gralla, the entire contents of which is incorporatedherein by reference. Thus, in step 618, the mobile terminal 306 sendsdata packets to the main server 300 requesting access to the Internetwebsite www.ricoh.com, for example. The main server 300 receives theInternet access request and, in step 620, the main server starts the webbrowser software such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft InternetExplorer to access the Internet 120 and to go to the requested website.The main server 100 then uses the URL to access the requested websiteand sends data packets of the content of the web site, such as webpages, to the mobile terminal 316. Thus, FIG. 6 illustrates how a mobileterminal can utilize the software, hardware, and Internet resource ofthe wireless network in accordance with the present invention.

As described above, the electronic devices may be managed and resourcesmay be shared using a main server to communicate via the wireless LAN.In another embodiment of the present invention, a portable controldevice provides a uniform interface for manual control of the electronicdevices on the wireless LAN. FIG. 7 is a system diagram illustrating asystem for managing and controlling a local network of electronicdevices using a control device. The system of FIG. 7 is identical to thesystem of FIG. 1 except that the system of FIG. 8 includes controldevice 800 as well as applications software that allows remote manualcontrol of electronic devices using the control device 800. As with theother devices on the LAN, the control device 800 includes a transceiverand antenna 121 for communicating wirelessly with the main server 100and other nodes of the LAN. The control device is a lightweight handhelddevice similar to a remote control for a television, for example.However, the antenna 121 of the control device emits an omnidirectionalsignal rather than the directional infrared signal of the conventionalremote control device. Therefore, the control device 800 can control theelectronic devices on the wireless LAN without being in line of sight ofthe device to be controlled.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of the control panel of the control device800. As seen in this figure, the control device includes a display 810and an input keypad 815. The display is preferably a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), but may be implemented as any one of the known displaydevices. The keypad 815 includes up directional button 820, rightdirectional button 821, left directional button 822, down directionalbutton 823, and menu and select buttons 830 and 832 respectively. Thedirectional buttons 820 through 823 are used to navigate through menusdisplayed on the display 810. The menu button 830 and the select button832 are used to initiate the display of a menu and to select items in amenu as will be further described below. In a graphical user interfaceenvironment, the directional buttons and menu and select buttons may beconfigured to operate as a mouse. Thus, the control device 800 is asimple portable wireless device for displaying, navigating and selectingcontrol menus for the electrical devices connected to the wireless LAN.

FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of the control device 800. The controldevice 800 includes CPU 801, RAM 802, ROM 804, display controller 806,Input controller 808, and communications controller 840. The variousunits of the control device 800 are interconnected by way of system bus850. The CPU 801 processes instructions or sequences of instructionsstored in the RAM 802 and/or ROM 504 in response to input commands of auser via input controller 508. The display controller controls thedisplay of images and text on the display in response to commands fromthe CPU 801. Communications controller 510 allows the control device 800to receive and process wireless digital data from the main server andother electronic devices on the wireless LAN. It is to be understoodthat the items in the block diagram of FIG. 9 are exemplary itemsintended to provide a functional description of the control device 800.The control device may incorporate any of the components of a knownwireless computing device such as the Palm Pilot manufactured by Palm,Inc. In addition, the control device may include any of the features ofa general computing device such as the device described in FIG. 14.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart indicating the process manually controllingelectronic devices using the control device 800 in accordance with thepresent invention. The process begins at step 1000 when the user of thecontrol device 800 presses the menu button 830 on the input keypad 815.In step 1002, a Menu Request command is broadcast to the devices on thewireless LAN. The menu request message is a generic message requestingelectronic devices on the wireless LAN to identify themselves andprovide a location for the control menu of the respective electronicdevice. In one embodiment of the present invention, the control device800 may request identification and control menu information only fromelectronic devices that are capable of communicating using apredetermined protocol used by the control device 800 such as hypertexttransfer protocol (http). In another embodiment, the control device 800requests identification and control menu information from all electronicdevices on the network and the main server 100 converts the menuinformation to a communication protocol understandable to the controldevice 800 as will be further described below. Once the Menu Requestcommand is sent, the control device 800 receives and stores anyresponses received from the electronic devices on the wireless network.

As with the main server of FIG. 1, the control device 800 may use anyknown MAC protocol to ensure that only one device of the wireless LANhas access to the shared link of a multiple access link at any one time.For example, FIG. 11 shows the communication correspondence when theMenu button is pressed at the control device 800. At the step 1101 thecontrol device 800 broadcasts the menu request. Step 1101 corresponds tostep 1002 in the flow chart of FIG. 10. In step 1103, the control device800 receives a response from a first electronic device, the printer 102,for example. As seen in FIG. 11, the printer 102 is identified asprinter “Orion” and has a menu location at Orion/menu.htm. The MAC usedby the control device 800 allows only the printer Orion to communicatewith the control device 800 at the time of step 1103. After thiscommunication is completed, the control device receives a response fromthe printer identified as “N4025” which has a control menu atN4025/menu.html as seen in step 1105. Again, N4025 is the only node ofthe network that communicates with the control device 800 at the time ofstep 1105. The control device 800 then sequentially receives a responsefrom the terminal “Venus,” the thermostat “980,” and the microwave oven“Sol” as illustrated in FIG. 11. While all of the responding devices ofFIG. 11 are shown to have HTTP menu capability, the present inventiondoes not require such a common protocol as mentioned above.

Returning to the flow chart of FIG. 10, in decision block 1006, thecontrol device 800 determines whether a predetermined time forresponding to the menu request has lapsed. If the time has not lapsed,the control device 800 returns to step 1004 where it receives and storesmore replies and menu locations of electronic devices connected to thewireless LAN as described with respect to FIG. 11. If the time to replyhas expired, the control device 800 proceeds to step 1008 where theresponding devices are displayed on the display 810 of the controldevice 800. The devices may be displayed in text format including thedevice identification and/or the location of the menu file on the mainserver 100 as exemplified in the text of FIG. 11. Alternatively, thelist of devices may be a graphical display of icons or selection boxeswith a device associated with each icon or selection box as shown inFIG. 12, which will be further described below. In a preferredembodiment, the control device displays the responding devices using aweb supported cellular phone format so that a large display is notrequired.

After the responding devices are displayed on the control device 800,the control device determines whether a selection from the list has beenmade by the user as shown by decision block 1010. As indicated above,the user selects a device from the list displayed by using the inputkeypad 815 on the control device 800. If no selection has been made, thecontrol device proceeds to decision block 1020 where it determineswhether a predetermined time for making a selection has passed. If theselection time has passed, the control device 800 shuts down the displayin step 1022 to preserve the battery power of the control device 800.Where a selection from the displayed list is made, the control device800 proceeds to decision block 1012 where the control device determinesif the selection made is a “more” selection.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control device800 may receive and store the identification and menu locationinformation for a larger number of electrical devices than can bedisplayed on the display 810 of the control device 800. Where such alarge number of devices respond to the broadcast, the control device 800displays a first group of the responding devices on the display alongwith a “more” option as shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is an illustration ofthe display 810 displaying a graphical display of selection boxesaccording to an embodiment of the present invention. As seen in thisfigure, selection box 1212 is associated with printer Orion, selectionbox 1214 is associated with microwave oven Sol, and selection box 1216is associated with terminal Venus. Thus, the display of FIG. 12 displaysthe electronic devices that responded in the communication protocol ofFIG. 11. In this regard, the selection box 1218 is provided becausethere are responding devices that cannot be displayed on the display810, namely the printer N4025 and the thermostat 980.

Where the selection is the “more” selection box 1218, the control device800 displays a second group of responding devices on the display 810 asindicated by step 1016 of FIG. 10. Where the selection is not the “more”selection box 1218, but rather an electronic device, the control device800 establishes a connection with the selected device as shown in step1014. In a preferred embodiment, the selection box of the selected itemis shown on the display 810 in a highlighted fashion as shown byselection box 1214 of FIG. 12.

After the selection is made by the user, the control device 800establishes a connection with the selected electronic device as seen instep 1014. As indicated above, one embodiment of the control device 800receives and processes responses only from devices having an httpprotocol menu. In this embodiment, the control device 800 establishes awireless connection directly with the selected device with an http mode.This allows communication with the selected device with limitedintervention by the main server 100. In another embodiment, the controldevice 800 receives a response from all electronic devices includingdevices that have menu controls incompatible with the communicationprotocol of the control device. In this embodiment, step 1014 ofestablishing a connection with the selected device includes a step fordetermining whether the selected device has the same communicationprotocol as the control device or not. If the selected device has adifferent menu protocol, i.e. not http for example, the control devicethen contacts the main server 100 also as part of step 1014. The mainserver 100 includes software for translating the unfamiliar protocol ofthe selected device to a protocol understandable to the control device800. Thus, step 1014 of establishing a connection with the selecteddevice requires a connection be made through the main server 100. Withthe http connection established, the control device 800 exchangescontrol data with the electronic device to control the aspects of theelectronic device.

According to a preferred embodiment, the control device 800 provides thelisting of responding electrical devices on the display 810 in apredetermined order. FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating a process fordisplaying the responding electronic devices on the control device inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In step 1302,the control device ranks the responding devices in accordance with astored access frequency table. The access frequency table is a file thatkeeps track of user access to each of the electronic devices in thewireless local area network. With the responding devices ranked, thecontrol device 800 displays N devices on the display 810 as shown bystep 1304 where N represents the number of devices capable of beingdisplayed on the display 810 at one time, N is determined by the displayresolution and size. At the 1306, if there are more devices respondingthan N devices, the system adds “More” icon or word in the step 1308. Atstep 1310, it returns to the calling process.

FIG. 14 illustrates a computer system 1401 upon which an embodimentaccording to the present invention may be implemented. As indicatedabove, the computer system 1401 may function as the main sever inaccordance with the present invention. Computer system 1401 includes abus 1403 or other communication mechanism for communicating information,and a processor 1405 coupled with bus 1403 for processing theinformation. The processor 1105 may be implemented as any type ofprocessor including commercially available microprocessors fromcompanies such as Intel, AMD, Motorola, Hitachi and NEC.

The computer system 1401 may also include special purpose logic devices(e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)) or configurablelogic devices (e.g., generic array of logic (GAL) or reprogrammablefield programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)). Other removable media devices(e.g., a compact disc, a tape, and a removable magneto-optical media) orfixed, high density media drives, may be added to the computer system1401 using an appropriate device bus (e.g., a small computer systeminterface (SCSI) bus, an enhanced integrated device electronics (IDE)bus, or an ultra-direct memory access (DMA) bus). The computer system1401 may additionally include a compact disc reader, a compact discreader-writer unit, or a compact disc juke box, each of which may beconnected to the same device bus or another device bus.

Computer system 1401 may be coupled via bus 1403 to a display 1413, suchas a cathode ray tube (CRT), for displaying information to a computeruser. The display 1413 may be controlled by a display or graphics card.The computer system includes input devices, such as a keyboard 1415 anda cursor control 1417, for communicating information and commandselections to processor 1405. The cursor control 1417, for example, is amouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys for communicating directioninformation and command selections to processor 1405 and for controllingcursor movement on the display 1413.

The computer system 1401 performs a portion or all of the processingsteps of the invention in response to processor 1405 executing one ormore sequences of one or more instructions contained in a memory, suchas the main memory 1407. Such instructions may be read into the mainmemory 1407 from another computer-readable medium, such as storagedevice 1411. One or more processors in a multi-processing arrangementmay also be employed to execute the sequences of instructions containedin main memory 1407. In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitrymay be used in place of or in combination with software instructions.Thus, embodiments are not limited to any specific combination ofhardware circuitry and software.

As stated above, the system 1401 includes at least one computer readablemedium or memory programmed according to the teachings of the inventionand for containing data structures, tables, records, or other datadescribed herein. Stored on any one or on a combination of computerreadable media, the present invention includes software for controllingthe computer system 1401, for driving a device or devices forimplementing the invention, and for enabling the computer system 1401 tointeract with a human user, e.g., a customer. Such software may include,but is not limited to, device drivers, operating systems, developmenttools, and applications software. Such computer readable media furtherincludes the computer program product of the present invention forperforming all or a portion (if processing is distributed) of theprocessing performed in implementing the invention.

The computer code devices of the present invention may be anyinterpreted or executable code mechanism, including but not limited toscripts, interpreters, dynamic link libraries, Java classes, andcomplete executable programs. Moreover, parts of the processing of thepresent invention may be distributed for better performance,reliability, and/or cost.

The term “computer readable medium” as used herein refers to any mediumthat participates in providing instructions to processor 1405 forexecution. A computer readable medium may take many forms, including butnot limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmissionmedia. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical, magneticdisks, and magneto-optical disks, such as storage device 1411. Volatilemedia includes dynamic memory, such as main memory 1407. Transmissionmedia includes coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, includingthe wires that comprise bus 1403. Transmission media also may also takethe form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated duringradio wave and infrared data communications.

Common forms of computer readable media include, for example, harddisks, floppy disks, tape, magneto-optical disks, PROMs (EPROM, EEPROM,Flash EPROM), DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, or any other magnetic medium, compactdisks (e.g., CD-ROM), or any other optical medium, punch cards, papertape, or other physical medium with patterns of holes, a carrier wave(described below), or any other medium from which a computer can read.

Various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying outone or more sequences of one or more instructions to processor 1405 forexecution. For example, the instructions may initially be carried on amagnetic disk of a remote computer. The remote computer can load theinstructions for implementing all or a portion of the present inventionremotely into a dynamic memory and send the instructions over atelephone line using a modem. A modem local to computer system 1401 mayreceive the data on the telephone line and use an infrared transmitterto convert the data to an infrared signal. An infrared detector coupledto bus 1403 can receive the data carried in the infrared signal andplace the data on bus 1403. Bus 1403 carries the data to main memory1407, from which processor 1405 retrieves and executes the instructions.The instructions received by main memory 1407 may optionally be storedon storage device 1411 either before or after execution by processor1405.

Computer system 1401 also includes a communication interface 1419coupled to bus 1403. Communication interface 1419 provides a two-waydata communication coupling to a network link 1421 that is connected toa local network (e.g., LAN 1423). For example, communication interface1419 may be a network interface card to attach to any packet switchedlocal area network (LAN). As another example, communication interface1419 may be an asymmetrical digital subscriber line (ADSL) card, anintegrated services digital network (ISDN) card or a modem to provide adata communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line.Wireless links may also be implemented. In any such implementation,communication interface 1419 sends and receives electrical,electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streamsrepresenting various types of information. The radio waves may beimplemented using a spread spectrum technique such as Code DivisionMultiple Access (CDMA) communication or using a frequency hoppingtechnique such as that disclosed in the Bluetooth specificationpreviously described.

Network link 1421 typically provides data communication through one ormore networks to other data devices. For example, network link 1421 mayprovide a connection through LAN 1423 to a host computer 1425 or to dataequipment operated by a service provider, which provides datacommunication services through an IP (Internet Protocol) network 1427(e.g., the Internet 607). LAN 1423 and IP network 1427 both useelectrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital datastreams. The signals through the various networks and the signals onnetwork link 1421 and through communication interface 1419, which carrythe digital data to and from computer system 1401, are exemplary formsof carrier waves transporting the information. Computer system 1401 cantransmit notifications and receive data, including program code, throughthe network(s), network link 1421 and communication interface 1419.

Obviously, numerous additional modifications and variations of thepresent invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It istherefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claimsthe present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specificallydescribed herein.

1. A method of managing electronic devices comprising: providing a mainserver including software for managing network resources from a singlepoint of administration; wirelessly connecting a plurality of electronicdevices to said main server to create a wireless local area network(LAN); and managing said electronic devices using said software, whereinsaid electronic devices include at least one of an appliance, anenvironmental control device, and an entertainment device, wherein saidstep of managing said electronic devices comprises: monitoringmanagement initiating parameters including at least one of a systemclock and sensed parameters, for said electronic devices; determining amanagement action to be performed on an electronic device to be managedbased on said management initiating parameters; and transmitting amanagement action data packet to said electronic device to be managed.2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of providing a main servercomprises providing one of a desktop computer and a portable computer assaid main server.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step ofwirelessly connecting comprises: wirelessly transmitting anidentification request from said main server; wirelessly receiving aresponse from responding electronic devices within the wireless range ofsaid main server; and maintaining said wireless LAN including the mainserver and the responding electronic devices.
 4. The method of claim 3,further comprising providing an adjustable transmission power for saidmain server thereby providing an adjustable signal area for saidwireless LAN.
 5. The method of claim 3, further comprising periodicallyupdating information on the electronic devices connected to saidwireless LAN.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising adding anddropping electronic devices from said wireless LAN as necessary.
 7. Themethod of claim 3, wherein said step of maintaining said wireless LANcomprises using a media access control (MAC) protocol. 8-9. (canceled)10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving said managementaction data packet at said electronic device to be managed; andperforming said management action at said electronic device to bemanaged based on said management action data packet.
 11. The method ofclaim 10, further comprising: generating a management action report atsaid electronic device to be managed; transmitting a report data packetincluding said management action report from said electronic device tobe managed, said management action report containing information aboutwhether said management action was completed by the electronic device tobe managed.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of wirelesslyconnecting a plurality of electronic devices comprises wirelesslyconnecting at least one of an office equipment device and a mobileterminal device to said main server.
 13. The method of claim 1, whereinsaid step of creating a wireless LAN comprises creating a wireless homenetwork.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of creating awireless LAN comprises creating a wireless workplace network.
 15. Themethod of claim 1, wherein said step of wirelessly connecting saidelectronic devices comprises wirelessly connecting said electronicdevices to said main server such that said electronic devices can sharethe software and hardware resources of the main server.
 16. The methodof claim 1, further comprising providing Internet connectivity to saidelectronic devices through said main server.
 17. A system for managingelectronic devices comprising: a main server including software formanaging network resources from a single point of administration; acommunications device configured to wirelessly connect a plurality ofelectronic devices to said main server to create a wireless local areanetwork (LAN); a processor configured to manage said electronic devicesusing said software, wherein said electronic devices include at leastone of an appliance, an environmental control device, and anentertainment device; monitoring management initiating parametersincluding at least one of a system clock and sensed parameters, for saidelectronic devices; determining a management action to be performed onan electronic device to be managed based on said management initiatingparameters; and transmitting a management action data packet to saidelectronic device to be managed via said communications device.
 18. Thesystem of claim 17, wherein said main server comprises one of a desktopcomputer and a portable computer.
 19. The system of claim 18, whereinsaid communications device is configured to wirelessly connect by:wirelessly transmitting an identification request from said main server;wirelessly receiving a response from responding electronic deviceswithin the wireless range of said main server; and maintaining saidwireless LAN including the main server and the responding electronicdevices.
 20. The system of claim 19, further comprising a poweradjustment device configured to adjust transmission power of thecommunications device thereby providing an adjustable signal area forsaid wireless LAN.
 21. The system of claim 19, further comprising acommunications protocol configured to periodically update information onthe electronic devices connected to said wireless LAN.
 22. The system ofclaim 21, wherein said communications protocol is configured to add anddrop electronic devices from said wireless LAN as necessary.
 23. Thesystem of claim 19, wherein said communications device is configured tomaintain said wireless LAN by using a media access control (MAC)protocol. 24-25. (canceled)
 26. The system of claim 17, furthercomprising: another communications device configured to receive saidmanagement action data packet at said electronic device to be managed;and another processor configured to perform said management action atsaid electronic device to be managed based on said management actiondata packet.
 27. The system of claim 26, wherein said another processoris further configured to: generate a management action report at saidelectronic device to be managed; transmit a report data packet includingsaid management action report from said electronic device to be managedvia said another communications device, said management action reportcontaining information about whether said management action wascompleted by the electronic device to be managed.
 28. The system ofclaim 17, wherein said communications device is configured to wirelesslyconnect a plurality of electronic devices by wirelessly connecting atleast one of an office equipment device and a mobile terminal device tosaid main server.
 29. The system of claim 17, wherein saidcommunications device creates a wireless LAN by creating a wireless homenetwork.
 30. The system of claim 17, wherein said communications devicecreates a wireless LAN by creating a wireless workplace network.
 31. Thesystem of claim 17, wherein said communications device is configured towirelessly connect said electronic devices by wirelessly connecting saidelectronic devices to said main server such that said electronic devicescan share the software and hardware resources of the main server. 32.The system of claim 17, wherein said communications device is configuredto provide Internet connectivity to said electronic devices through saidmain server.
 33. A system for managing electronic devices comprising:main server means for providing software for managing network resourcesfrom a single point of administration; means for wirelessly connecting aplurality of electronic devices to said main server means to create awireless local area network (LAN); means for managing said electronicdevices using said software, wherein said electronic devices include atleast one of an appliance, an environmental control device, and anentertainment device; means for monitoring management initiatingparameters including at least one of a system clock and sensedparameters for said electronic devices; determining a management actionto be performed on an electronic device to be managed based on saidmanagement initiating parameters; transmitting a management action datapacket to said electronic device to be managed; means for determiningmeans for receiving said management action data packet at saidelectronic device to be managed; and means for performing saidmanagement action at said electronic device to be managed based on saidmanagement action data packet.
 34. The system of claim 33, furthercomprising means for providing an adjustable signal area for saidwireless LAN. 35 The system of claim 33, further comprising means forperiodically updating information on the electronic devices connected tosaid wireless LAN.
 36. The system of claim 35, further comprising meansfor adding and dropping electronic devices from said wireless LAN asnecessary.
 37. (canceled)
 38. The system of claim 33, furthercomprising: means for generating a management action report at saidelectronic device to be managed; means for transmitting a report datapacket including said management action report from said electronicdevice to be managed, said management action report containinginformation about whether said management action was completed by theelectronic device to be managed.
 39. A computer readable mediumcontaining program instructions for execution on a main server, whichwhen executed by the main server, cause the main server to perform stepscomprising: wirelessly connecting a plurality of electronic devices tosaid main server to create a wireless local area network (LAN); andmanaging said electronic devices using said software, wherein saidelectronic devices include at least one of an appliance, anenvironmental control device, and an entertainment device, wherein saidstep of managing said electronic devices comprises: monitoringmanagement initiating parameters including at least one of a systemclock and sensed parameters, for said electronic devices; determining amanagement action to be performed on an electronic device to be managedbased on said management initiating parameters; and transmitting amanagement action data packet to said electronic device to be managed.40. The computer readable medium of claim 39, wherein said programinstructions are executable on one of a desktop computer and a portablecomputer.
 41. The computer readable medium of claim 39, wherein saidstep of wirelessly connecting comprises: wirelessly transmitting anidentification request from said main server; wirelessly receiving aresponse from responding electronic devices within the wireless range ofsaid main server; and maintaining said wireless LAN including the mainserver and the responding electronic devices.
 42. The computer readablemedium of claim 41, wherein said main server is further caused toperform a step of providing an adjustable transmission power for saidmain server thereby providing an adjustable signal area for saidwireless LAN.
 43. The computer readable medium of claim 41, wherein saidmain server is further caused to perform a step of periodically updatinginformation on the electronic devices connected to said wireless LAN.44. The computer readable medium of claim 43, wherein said main serveris further caused to perform a step of adding and dropping electronicdevices from said wireless LAN as necessary.
 45. The computer readablemedium of claim 41, wherein said step of maintaining said wireless LANcomprises using a media access control (MAC) protocol.
 46. The computerreadable medium of claim 39, wherein said main server is further causedto perform the steps of: receiving said management action data packet atsaid electronic device to be managed; and performing said managementaction at said electronic device to be managed based on said managementaction data packet.
 47. The computer readable medium of claim 46,wherein said main server is further caused to perform the steps of:generating a management action report at said electronic device to bemanaged; transmitting a report data packet including said managementaction report from said electronic device to be managed, said managementaction report containing information about whether said managementaction was completed by the electronic device to be managed.
 48. Thecomputer readable medium of claim 39, wherein said step of wirelesslyconnecting a plurality of electronic devices comprises wirelesslyconnecting at least one of an office equipment device and a mobileterminal device to said main server.
 49. The computer readable medium ofclaim 39, wherein said step of creating a wireless LAN comprisescreating a wireless home network.
 50. The computer readable medium ofclaim 39, wherein said step of creating a wireless LAN comprisescreating a wireless workplace network.
 51. The computer readable mediumof claim 39, wherein said step of wirelessly connecting said electronicdevices comprises wirelessly connecting said electronic devices to saidmain server such that said electronic devices can share the software andhardware resources of the main server.
 52. The computer readable mediumof claim 39, wherein said main server is further caused to perform astep of providing Internet connectivity to said electronic devicesthrough said main server.